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Tuesday, 20 November 2012

This Genre Is Oversaturated, Write Something Else

I am sick of hearing this and you know what? Kiss my ass whoever you are.

I spent a very long time dreaming up the idea for my current YA WIP and an even longer time actually writing it. A crit partner the other day told me that the market is oversaturated with the genre of my YA and agents aren't looking for that right now. Um...okay? What am I supposed to do? Stop writing the thing 'cause one agent doesn't like that? Honestly, I thought he had had more faith in my ability to know that this is something I'm aware of, and that it's kind of unnecessary to even bring up. I mean, give me some credit, I do read ya know. Geesh. I don't like it when people think you're a total noob who knows nothing about the industry, but that's possibly another post.

My YA, in it's truest form, is a Superhero (slash) Fantasy (slash) Romance. However, I can't call it that 'cause there is no "Superhero" genre. At least I don't think there is. My MC is a kickass Superheroine Mage who happens to draw her power from a five thousand year old angelic warrior--who happens to be a spirit, who happens to fall in love with her. Unfortunately, simply because there is a ghost involved (which doesn't encompass the whole story) I have to lable it a Paranormal and, unfortunetely for me, this is the genre everyone is scorning right now like someone with an STD.

Readers can't help fall in love with what they like; writers can't help love what they pen. If it happens to be Paranormal, then so be it. I understand why agents and editors might not want to see Paranormal right now (most will be clones or some silly idea) but I believe there are still a lot of really cool concepts in this genre that haven't been explored. And dare I be so bold to say that I have some really cool concepts in this genre that I have explored, and would like to share. Are you saying I should give up now because so and so very established so and so with this many clients and this many accolades said so? I don't think so baby.

I brought this up because I was really discouraged when my crit partner said what he said and then I got a second blow to the heart when I saw the same thing echoed on an industry blog. I actually did ponder giving up the book and writing something else. But you know what I realized? They don't get to decide what I write. There are hundreds of agents out there--maybe thousands?--, loads of editors and gazillions of readers who WILL like what I write. One or two prejudiced folks should not sway your writerly path. So for all you Paranormal writers out there, and those other authors who write in genres that people treat like a disease, let's all join hands and collectively say, FUCK YOU biased people!

8 comments:

You are very smart to follow your intuition. I write contemporary. But my current novel (in first-draft form) has to be classified as paranormal b/c it, too, has a ghost. I probably should, but I don't care about the market. At all. I just want to write what speaks to me--hoping it will speak to readers, as well. Keep writing. You can't let marketing sway you from your art. I mean, you can. But you shouldn't.

I agree with everyone above. Follow your heart. A lot of what's said and written is just one person's opinion and never take it very seriously, because a lot of these opinions are wrong. I could go back about four or five years and read things posted on publishing blogs that are laughable right now they were so wrong. It's also why I try never to make generalizations in my own blog posts. One of the things I'm always harping about to the point of being annoying is take what you read and hear about online with that proverbial grain of salt. I actually have to calm myself sometimes when I see some of the things going around that make no sense whatsoever :)

Well, first and foremost, we have to write the story in our head. Does us no good to write a story we're not 100% passionate about because it can't possibly be our best work. So good for you for keeping with it.

Second, I wrote a YA Epic Fantasy and when I went on submission I was told by virtually every agent that requested the full that, "This story is very well written, Epic Fantasy is just a really hard sell right now." Bummer. After I exhausted all my agent options I shopped it with small presses. Same response from EVERY small press but one. Thank the lord I didn't give up. It will be published this March.